Trash can holder

ABSTRACT

A trash can holder in the form of a double end clip, preferably fabricated from slender metal rod stock, for releasably joining a group of three or four trash cans to restrain the cans against overturning. The clip has a central connecting portion providing a handle and terminating in pairs of depending arms for straddling the rims of adjacent trash cans to hold the latter against separation and thereby overturning.

United States Patent Scioloro TRASH CAN HOLDER [76] Inventor: Joseph D.Scioloro, 14620 Rath, La

Puente, Calif. 91747 22 Filed: Mar. 17, 1971 211 Appl.No.: 125,106

[52] US. Cl. 24/81 C, 206/65 CT [51] Int. Cl A44b 21/00 [58] Field ofSearch 24/81 C, 81 E, 73 C,

24/81 BF, 73 HH, 261 R, 261A, 261 B, 139.1, 261 CF; 248/DIG. 7; 206/65CT [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 781,930 2/1905 Barnes24/139.1 965,458 7/1910 Hitt 24/81 C UX 1,321,592 11/1919 Brown 24/81 CJune 19, 1973 2,782,916 2/1957 Goenen 206/65 CT FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,162,867 4/1958 France 24/139.1

Primary ExaminerDonald A. Griffin Attorney-Boniard I. Brown [57]ABSTRACT 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEWUNIQW 3139mm IN l/E N TOR.JGSEPHYD. 500mm BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the inventionThis invention relates generally to accessories for trash cans and moreparticularly to a trash can holder for releasably joining a group ofthree or four trash cans to restrain the cans against overturning.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art In most residential, commercial, andindustrial areas, trash is placed in trash receptacles and is collectedat periodic intervals for transportation to a local disposal facility,such as a dump. Two general types of trash receptacles are commonly usedfor this purpose, namely, relatively large trash bins which are emptiedinto the trash collection vehicle by means of a hydraulic hoistmechanism on the vehicle and smaller trash cans which are emptied intothe vehicle by hand. The present invention is concerned with such trashcans.

Trash cans present one problem which the invention overcomes. Thisproblem resides in the fact that the cans are frequently overturned bythe wind or by animals. When this occurs, the contents of the cans aredumped onto the ground and, in many cases, blown about by the wind.Replacing the spilled contents is an unpleasant and annoying task.

A vast assortment of devices have been devised for joining groups ofcans of various types. Typical devices of this kind, for example, areshown in US. Pat. Nos. 2,815,855 and 3,269,580. The devices, shown inthese patents and other devices for a similar purpose, however, are notsuited for joining trash cans to restrain the latter againstoverturning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a holder whichis expressly designed for joining a group of three or four trash cans torestrain them against overturning under the action of wind, animals, orother causes. The holder may be readily placed on and removed from thetrash cans to permit them to be handled and emptied individually.

To these ends, the holder comprises a double ended clip which ispreferably fabricated from slender metal rod stock. The clip has acentral portion providing a handle by which the clip may be gripped toplace it on and remove it from a group of trash cans and pairs ofdepending arms at the ends of the central portion for straddling therims of adjacent trash cans.

In certain disclosed embodiments of the present trash can holder, theholder clip is fashioned from a single slender metal rod by bending therod to form the handle and can rim engaging arms. Another disclosedembodiment of the holder has end members of inverted U-shape whichprovide the can rim engaging arms and are welded or otherwise rigidlyjoined to an intervening member which provides the handle. This latterform of holder is also preferably fabricated from slender metal rodstock. According to a feature of the invention, the holder may be shapedto accommodate trash cans of the same or different size.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top view of the presentholder assembled on a group of four trash cans of different size;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the trash cans and can holder in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the can holder in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the holder taken on line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate modified can holder configurations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIGS. l-5 illustrate a trash canholder 10 according to the invention to be placed on a group of trashcans 12. As will appear from the ensuing description, the holder 10 isintended to be placed on four trash cans, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.However, the holder may be used with only three cans. It will alsoappear that the holder may be used on trash cans of difierent size, asin FIGS. 1 and 2, or on trash cans of the same size.

In simple tenns, the trash can holder 10 comprises a clip having acentral connecting portion 14 providing a handle 16 and pairs 18 ofdepending arms 20 at the ends of the central portion. These arm pairsprovide normally downwardly opening slots 22 located in a commonlongitudinal plane of the clip. The clip is placed on the trash cans 12by lowering the clip over the can rims in such a way that the rims ofadjacent cans enter the clip end slots 22 to locate the clip arms 20 instraddling relation to the rims, as shown. The clip, when thus installedon .the trash cans, restrains them against overturning. It issignificant to note in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the arms 20 are sufficientlylong to straddle the rims of trash cans of different height.

The particular trash can clip 10 shown is fabricated from a singlelength of slender metal rod. The central portion of the rod provides theconnecting portion 14 of the finished clip and is bent to form a centerring or loop which provides the handle 16. The ends of the rod are bentlaterally of the connecting portion 14 and then back on themselves in acommon longitudinal plane of the clip to form one arm 20 of the armpairs l8 and finally back again on themselves in planes normal to thecommon arm plane to form the other arms of the arm pairs. The arms ofthe arm pairs are spaced to fit snugly but removably over the trash canrims, it being understood that the rod is sufficiently flexible topermit the arms to spread slightly, if necessary.

The trash can holder 10a of FIG. 6 is similar to that of FIGS. 1-5 inits fabrication from a single length of slender metal rod and its mannerof use. However, the holder clip has a somewhat different shape thanthat of FIGS. 1-5 to accommodate its use on a greater range of trash cansizes. Thus, the central connecting portion 14a of the clip has endsections which slope upwardly toward and join at the center of theconnecting portion to provide the handle 16a. One end of the connectingportion is higher than the other. The ends of the clip rod are bent inthe same manner as in FIG. 1 to form the depending clip arms 20a.Because of the difference in elevation of the ends of the centralconnecting portion of the clip, one arm pair 18a is higher than theother. This modified can holder Illa is adapted for use on a group oftrash cans wherein the two trash cans joined by the lower clip arms areboth shorter than the trash cans joined by the higher clip arms.

FIG. 7 illustrates a modified trash can holder 10b which is identical tothat of FIGS. l-5 except that the clip arms 20b are vertically offsetand of different lengths to permit placement of the holder on trash cansof different height.

Turning finally to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a modi fied trash canholder 100 according to the invention wherein the clip has a connectingportion 14c and end arms 200, as before. In this embodiment, however,the connecting portion and arms are fashioned from separate lengths ofmetal rod. Thus, the connecting portion 14c is a section of rod which iscoiled to form a ring handle 160. Each arm pair 180 is a separateU-shaped end member fashioned from a length of metal rod. These endmembers are welded or otherwise rigidly joined to the ends of theconnecting portion 140. The arms 200 may be of different length, asshown, for the reasons explained earlier.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent l. A trash canholder comprising:

a double ended clip having a central connecting portion providing ahandle, and a pair of depending arms at each end of said connectingportion,

the arms of said arm pairs defining intervening normally downwardlyopening slots located in a common longitudinal plane of said clip,whereby said clip is adapted to be placed on a group of four trash canswith the arms of each arm pair straddling the rims of a pair of cans forrestraining the cans against overturning, and

the arms of one arm pair being longitudinally offset relative to thearms of the other arm pair to adapt said clip for placement on trashcans of different heights.

2. Atrash can holder comprising:

a double ended clip having a central connecting portion providing ahandle, and a pair of depending arms at each end of said connectingportion,

the arms of said arm pairs defining intervening normally downwardlyopening slots located in a common longitudinal plane of said clip,whereby said clip is adapted to be placed on a group of four trash canswith the arms of each arm pair straddling the rims of a pair of cans forrestraining the cans against overturning, and

the arms of one arm pair are shorter than the arms of the other arm pairand have their upper ends located below the level of the upper ends ofthe latter arms to adapt said holder for placement on trash cans ofdifferent height.

3. In combination:

four trash cans with open tops arranged side by side in a generallyrectangular array,

a holder comprising a double ended clip having a central connectingportion providing a handle, and a pair of depending arms at each end ofsaid connecting portion,

the arms of said arm pairs defining intervening normally downwardlyopening slots located in a common longitudinal plane of said clip,whereby said clip is adapted to be placed on a group of four trash canswith the arms of each arm pair straddling the rims of a pair of cans forrestraining the cans. against overturning, and

one of said arm pairs straddling the rims of two adjacent trash cans andthe other arm pair straddling the rims of the other two trash cans tosecure said trash cans to one another.

1. A trash can holder comprising: a double ended clip having a centralconnecting portion providing a handle, and a pair of depending arms ateach end of said connecting portion, the arms of said arm pairs definingintervening normally downwardly opening slots located in a commonlongitudinal plane of said clip, whereby said clip is adapted to beplaced on a group of four trash cans with the arms of each arm pairstraddling the rims of a pair of cans for restraining the cans againstoverturning, and the arms of one arm pair being longitudinally offsetrelative to the arms of the other arm pair to adapt said clip forplacement on trash cans of different heights.
 2. A trash can holdercomprising: a double ended clip having a central connecting portionproviding a handle, and a pair of depending arms at each end of saidconnecting portion, the arms of said arm pairs defining interveningnormally downwardly opening slots located in a common longitudinal planeof said clip, whereby said clip is adapted to be placed on a group offour trash cans with the arms of each arm pair straddling the rims of apair of cans for restraining the cans against overturning, and the armsof one arm pair are shorter than the arms of the other arm pair and havetheir upper ends located below the level of the upper ends of the latterarms to adapt said holder for placement on trash cans of differentheight.
 3. In combination: four trash cans with open tops arranged sideby side in a generally rectangular array, a holder comprising a doubleended clip having a central connecting portion providing a handle, and apair of depending arms at each end of said connecting portion, the armsof said arm pairs defining intervening normally downwardly opening slotslocated in a common longitudinal plane of said clip, whereby said clipis adapted to be placed on a group of four trash cans with the arms ofeach arm pair straddling the rims of a pair of cans for restraining thecans against overturning, and one of said arm pairs straddling the rimsof two adjacent trash cans and the other arm pair straddling the rims ofthe other two trash cans to secure said trash cans to one another.